Building a bath from a log house with your own hands. How to build a bath from a log house with your own hands: step-by-step instructions

Building a bath from a log house is not an easy task, but the construction technology, the choice of materials, and even the exact sequence of actions have long been known and worked out by many craftsmen.

This material explains all the key points that will help in the construction of a log bath: from laying the foundation to interior decoration.

The steam bath has been known since the time of the Scythians, who carried with them special bath tents and camping stoves. And in the 21st century, the Russian bath did not become a kind of archaism, having successfully withstood centuries of competition with baths and showers. Get rid of many ailments, remove from the body harmful substances accumulated in urban everyday life, give the body a good rest - all this is achieved when visiting a bath for more than one and a half thousand years.

Which design is preferable, how to choose a place to place it, how it works in general - you will find answers to many "bath" questions in this article.

Location and layout of the bath

One of the important additions to the bath itself at all times was a fresh water reservoir located nearby - in the absence of another source of water supply, water was taken from it. A special charm in the proximity of such a reservoir lies in the possibility of a contrast bath - after taking a steam bath in a Russian bathhouse, run out of it and plunge into the cool water of the reservoir. In addition, a natural reservoir made it possible to quickly cope with the fire of the bath, which arose quite often due to violations in the construction of the stove.

Today, there is no particular need to link a country bath to a natural reservoir, but it is still convenient if it is located near, say, an artificial reservoir - the final decision always remains with the owner of the cottage.

The main criteria for choosing a place for a bath: distance from the road, the presence of a natural or artificial fence from strangers (dense bushes, tree crowns, a fence, outbuildings), a fire-prevention distance from the main residential building of at least 15 meters.

The main premises of the bath are a waiting room, a washing room and a steam room (the last two rooms can be combined into one). The size of the dressing room is determined at the rate of 1.4 m 2 for each bather, the size of the washing room is 1.2 m 2 for one person. In addition, in the dressing room there should be a place for furniture (locker for clothes, benches for sitting) and for storing fuel (box for coal or firewood). In the washing room you will need a place for containers with hot and cold water, stoves and a place for sun loungers.

For example, for a small family (no more than 4 people), a bathhouse of the following sizes is suitable: external size - 4x4 m; dressing room - 1.5x2.4 m; washing - 2x2 m; steam room - 2x1.5 m. True, in a bath of this size you can’t really turn around - but it also takes up little space.

In general, the size of the bath is directly related to the size of the area that can be allocated for it. If the site is significant, then the bath can be expanded by adding a shower cabin, relaxation rooms, etc. to it.

In temperate and cold climatic zones, it will be correct if the entrance to the bathhouse is located in the south, and the window openings are on its western (southwestern) side. Such an arrangement of the entrance will greatly simplify the use of the bathhouse in the winter season, since the snowdrifts on the south side melt faster, and the direction of the windows will allow longer to illuminate its premises with sunlight.

Bath construction - stages

There are several of them:

1. Procurement of basic materials.
2. Selection and laying of the foundation.
3. Creation of a foundation for a stove-heater (if necessary).
4. Creation of the floor and sewer system of the bath.
5. Assembling the log cabin.
6. Roof construction.
7. Formation of a blind area around the perimeter.
8. Caulking bath walls.
9. Laying or installation of a furnace, installation of a chimney.
10. Electricity and water supply of the bath.
11. Installation of doors and installation of shelves.

Preparation of basic materials for the bath

The classic and most successful structural material for the Russian bath was and will be wood - wood easily copes with waterlogging of bath rooms, removing excess moisture to the outside.

What wood is suitable for building a bath? As a rule, baths are built from pine or spruce round timber with a diameter of no more than 250 mm - only wood will create an indescribable internal atmosphere in the steam room. However, in some places it is better to include wood of other species in the design of the bath - oak, larch and linden. For example, the lower crowns and logs for flooring, made of oak, will allow you to get a truly durable bath. Nuance - the oak must be cut down "in the very juice" (that is, not deadwood) and dried under a canopy. The lower crowns (no more than 4), following the first oak, are best made from larch. The final crowns, elements of interior decoration and cladding should be made of linden or white spruce - their wood removes moisture better than others.

When do you need to store wood for building a bath? Round timber, wood for interior decoration must be cut down in winter, during the period when tree trunks contain the least amount of moisture - it is easier to dry. In addition, not the entire tree trunk is suitable for building a bath - only the middle part of the trunk is suitable, that is, the top and butt are not suitable.

An important criterion in the selection of wood will be the absence of cavities and streaks of resin on the round timber of coniferous species, dryness, a sanded surface, the absence of rotten areas and places of damage by woodworms.

Bath foundation

The main types of foundation for the construction of baths are strip and columnar, depending on local soils. Regardless of the chosen type of foundation, it is necessary to lay them with the utmost care - it is better if to the depth of soil freezing. Preliminary work before laying the foundation of any type: cleaning the site from debris, complete removal of the topsoil to a depth of 200 mm (we remove the fertile layer).

To choose the right foundation, you need to determine the type of local soil, which can belong to one of three main groups:

1. Weak soil consists of peat, silt, silty sand (contains a lot of water), fluid clay or fluid plastic.
2. Heaving soil (subject to seasonal swelling) consists of sand (dusty or fine), clay components (clay, loam and sandy loam).
3. Slightly heaving soil is formed by rocks, medium and large grains of sand.

Columnar (pile) foundation for a bath

Arranged on slightly heaving soils: it consists of pillars laid in the corners of the bath, as well as at the junctions of internal and external walls. If the distance between two adjacent foundation pillars is more than 2 m, another pillar is laid between them. The depth of laying the columnar foundation is at least 1.5 m.

Pillars for such a foundation are easy to make directly at the construction site of the bath; the material for them can be red brick, rubble stone, connected with concrete mortar. The main (corner) brick pillars for a columnar foundation are usually square in shape, with a side of 380 mm, the auxiliary ones are rectangular, with a section of 380x250 mm. If necessary, the main pillars are made in two bricks - with a section of 510x510 mm. The saving of rubble stone and brick during the construction of a columnar foundation is achieved by filling the foundation pits with sand - half of their depth, coarse sand is laid in layers (each layer is 100–150 mm), filled with water and rammed.

Foundation pillars when building a bath with your own hands can also be done independently. This will require a collapsible formwork made of boards, smeared from the inside with a non-hardening lubricant of the Emulsol type. Inside the assembled formwork, you need to place iron reinforcement, then pour the concrete mixture.

For casting foundation pillars inside the pits dug for them, a sliding formwork made of roofing iron, plastic, roofing paper or thick cardboard is used. From the material selected for the sliding formwork, a pipe with a diameter of 200 mm or more is created, placed in a foundation pit of a larger diameter - from 300 mm. The free space around the formwork is covered with sand - it will act as a lubricant and prevent the concrete pillar from rising when the soil swells. Reinforcement tied with thick wire is inserted inside the formwork, then the concrete mixture is poured, which must be carefully compacted. For wire handles, previously fixed on the sliding formwork, it is lifted by 400 mm by rocking, sand is poured from the outside and a new batch of concrete is poured.

Asbestos-cement pipes can be used as a columnar foundation, they are durable, not subject to decay, and their outer surface is quite smooth, which allows them not to change their position when the soil swells. Asbestos-cement pipes are also filled with concrete, their underground part must be covered with a mineral-based construction lubricant to reduce the risk of freezing to the ground.

Between the foundation pillars of the outer walls of the bathhouse and the inner walls of the steam room, brick walls are laid out, their sufficient thickness is brick and even half a brick. Such brick walls must be buried in the ground by 250 mm.

Foundation pillars and brick walls between them are brought to a height of 300–400 mm from the ground level, they must be leveled with cement mortar and covered with roofing material for waterproofing. At the ends of the pillars, during casting, mortgages of the required shape made of metal are installed - they are designed to fasten the log cabin of the bath to the foundation.

When building a bath on heaving soils, it will be necessary to create a tape monolithic foundation.

Sequence of work:

1. Marking the construction site with twine stretched between pegs.
2. Digging a trench of the required depth (its size is related to the characteristics of local soils, at least 400 mm) and 300 mm wide.
3. Adding a layer of sand to the bottom of the trench, then gravel (each 70–100 mm).
4. Formwork installation.
5. Reinforcement tab.
6. Pouring concrete mix.

The reinforcement laid on the bottom of the foundation trenches must have a cross section of at least 12 mm, it is laid along each of the two sides of the trench and knitted into a frame, lifting it to its middle with the help of brick fragments.

The composition of the concrete mixture is calculated in a ratio of 5:3:1 (crushed stone:sand:cement), the sand used must be dry and clean (washed). It is quite simple to calculate the volume of concrete required to pour a strip foundation, you just need to measure the width, depth and total length of the foundation. For example, with a width of 0.3 m, a depth of 0.4 m and a total length of 22 m, the following volume of concrete mixture will be required:

• 0.3 x 0.4 x 22 \u003d 2.64 m 3

One of the difficulties in the preparation of a dry mix of concrete is the lack of scales at construction sites. Therefore, this method of calculating dry components for concrete will come in handy: one 10-liter bucket holds from 15 to 17 kg of gravel, sand - from 14 to 17 kg, cement - from 13 to 14 kg.

The formwork is placed in such a way that the concrete foundation cast into it protrudes 100 mm above the ground level. As the concrete mixture is poured into the prepared formwork, its mass must be repeatedly pierced with a bayonet shovel or wire probe, tap the outside of the formwork with a hammer (we eliminate air pockets). Then you need to wait for the foundation to completely harden, about 5 to 7 days. When carrying out foundation work in the cold season, the formwork after pouring concrete must be covered with PVC film and covered with sawdust or other insulation on top.

After the period allotted for drying the cast foundation, we proceed to its waterproofing and lifting with brick rows (if the bath is not required, then, after waterproofing, we proceed to the cement screed). You will need the following materials:

1. Ruberoid.
2. Pipe about 2 m (plastic or metal), section from 32 to 57 mm.
3. The grid is masonry.
4. Red brick.
5. Masonry mortar.

Ruberoid (roofing) is cut into strips sufficient for flooring on a concrete foundation, then laid out over the foundation on bituminous mastic (for roofing - tar mastic). The brick is laid in a single-row dressing method: a masonry mortar is laid out on a layer of roofing material, the first brick row “in a poke” (across the foundation axis) is laid on it, then a masonry mesh is laid, the mortar and the next brick row are laid, but already “in a spoon” (along the axis foundation). Each new row of brickwork is accompanied by a laying of masonry mesh, laying "in a spoon" and "in a poke" alternate with each other. In the 3rd or 5th bond rows of masonry, you need to install ventilation vents from pipe scraps - 5-7 vents are enough for the entire foundation. The number of brick rows depends on the desired height of the foundation.

The last row of brickwork is covered with a cement screed (the composition of the solution is sand:cement as 1:2 or 1:3), with a 20 mm layer.

Independent foundation for the heater and sauna floor

We create the foundation for the stove-heater and assemble the bath house. If a major laying of the heater is supposed, it needs an independent foundation, i.e. not connected with the main foundation.

The floor in the bath can be clay, earth, wood or concrete. By and large, it does not need thermal insulation, since the temperature at its level is practically no higher than 30 ° C. A wooden grate, cork mats or mats are usually laid on the surface of the bath floor - their task is to relieve bath visitors from the sharp feeling of cold caused by touching the floor at the exit from the steam room. For self-drying, the flooring rises above the level of the main floor.

The main disadvantage of the wooden floor of the bath is its frequent waterlogging - water, penetrating through the cracks between the boards, will accumulate in them, causing rotting and an unpleasant odor. The wooden flooring wears out quickly, acquiring an unsightly appearance, after 6–8 years it may require replacement. Tile will be more practical for a bath floor covering - it is easier to care for it, it is not exposed to moisture, which easily flows down its surface.

The floors in the bath rooms should be placed at different levels: the floor of the steam room is 150 mm higher than the floor level of the washing room (we keep warm), the floor of the washing room is 30 mm lower than the floor level in the dressing room (we protect against water ingress).

Since the installation of a concrete floor with ceramic tiles in the washing room and steam room is more profitable than a wooden floor, we will consider this option.

There are several ways to arrange a concrete floor in a bath. First of all, we prepare the base for the formation of a warm floor - it consists of a 100 mm layer of sand and a 100 mm layer of crushed stone of the middle fraction, laid in series. Each layer should be well compacted and leveled. Then lay a roofing material on top, covering the walls with it to the height of the future floor.

Further actions:

1. First option- flooring with a 50 mm layer of felt, expanded clay or slag, on top of a 50 mm layer of concrete with the formation of a slope to the drain hole. After the concrete has set, it must be leveled with a cement solution, after which you can proceed to tile work.
2. Second option- 50 mm cement screed containing perlite (expanded sand). Composition of the mixture: perlite:cement:water as 5:1:3. After a full week from the moment of laying the perlite concrete, we apply a 30 mm layer of concrete on top with a slope under the drain. When dealing with perlite, you need to be especially careful - this material is extremely light, even a light breeze blows it away, so you need to work with it indoors without drafts. Correctly observe the proportion of water!

With a significant rise in the basement of the bath above the ground (from 300 mm), wooden logs of square section (side 150 mm) will be required for flooring. If the dimensions of the bathhouse do not exceed 2000x3000 mm, then the logs will be supported by the logs. For larger sizes, additional supports for the floor logs will be required, they are pillars made of concrete or brick (250x250 mm) and are placed at a distance of 700–800 mm. Support pillars for logs must be placed on a multilayer base of sand, crushed stone and concrete - each 100 mm.

Important! Before forming the base for the support of the log, it is necessary to make a foundation for the stove-heater and build a sewerage system.

Wood for logs can be oak, larch or conifers, logs should be treated with tar or antiseptic before installation.

The solution for the flooring in this case is as follows: the concrete space between the foundation is covered with roofing material with walls overlapping to the height of the floor, covered with slag or expanded clay (a layer of 200 mm foam can be laid between the layer of roofing material and bulk insulation), a draft floor of 29 mm is attached to the underside of the logs edged board. Then a PVC film is laid, foil mineral insulation, again a layer of film - for vapor barrier. On top we pour a 5 mm layer of concrete with a fine fraction filler, create a slope under the drain hole - after 3-4 days we put ceramic tiles.

Do not forget to bring the foundation for the furnace to floor level.

The floor in the dressing room is made of 19-29 mm grooved boards made of softwood.

An important point: when finishing a clean floor, and indeed the entire steam room and washing room, do not use synthetic building materials - the condition is especially important for a steam room!

Bath sewerage system

To drain wastewater from the bath, you will need: a pit with a water seal, a sewage well and pipes that drain dirty water into the pit and then into the sewer well.

The pit is torn off outside the foundation of the bath, gravity pipes made of plastic, cast iron or ceramics are brought into it from the steam room and washing room (metal pipes will quickly rust).

The pit should be 500 mm from the foundation, its depth - 700 mm, section - 500x500 mm. The walls of the pit are covered with a 100 mm layer of concrete, a 110 mm drain pipe (pipes) from the bath is inserted into it under the foundation. The main well for drains, containing at least 2 m 3, must be dug at a distance of at least 2.5 m from the pit - the farther the better. A pipe is brought to it from the pit, laid under a slope at a depth of 1.5 m (below the freezing depth), its outlet from the pit must be located 100 mm from its bottom. After entering the drain pipe, the main sewage well is filled with gravel or sand 1 m from the bottom, soil is poured on top - a layer of at least 500 mm. When laying, carefully tamp each layer.

Before the outlet of the drain pipe into the pit, a galvanized water seal is installed, located at an obtuse angle to the drain pipe from the bath. Its edges and upper side are hermetically attached to the walls of the pit, the distance from its lower edge to the bottom should be no more than 50 mm - thanks to this design, unpleasant odors and cold air will not penetrate into the steam room (washing room) through the drain hole.

To prevent freezing in winter, the pit must be closed with two covers of the appropriate size (wooden or metal), felt should be laid between them, and the top cover covered with expanded clay, slag or sawdust.

Shed, roof and blind area

It is better to make a log house for a bath to order from professional performers; its manufacture is quite difficult. The finished log house in disassembled form must be brought to the construction site and assembled according to the numbering of the logs. Crowns are fastened with 25 mm steel spikes with a total length of up to 150 mm, a tooth length of up to 70 mm.

The design of the roof of the bath includes rafters, a crate is attached to them, then roofing material. The choice of the final roof structure depends on the roof covering with which it will be covered. The rafters are attached to the last crown of the log house (better to the penultimate one) with the help of staples-thorns. As a rule, the construction of baths involves the arrangement of a single or gable roof, the slope angle (from 10 ° to 60 °) of which depends on the abundance and amount of precipitation in the area. Please note - the steeper the roof, the more material is required to create it.

Shed rafters, located at an angle, are fixed with two external or internal and external supports. If the span of the rafters exceeds 5 m, they are supported with additional struts. The rafters of a gable roof rest with their lower ends on the walls, the upper ends are interconnected, forming a ridge.

The roof of the bath can be covered with any material (slate, tiles, roofing material, galvanized, etc.), with an overlap on the walls of at least 500 mm.

The attic space must be made ventilated, that is, equipped with two doors at opposite ends of the roof.

We carry out a blind area along the foundation perimeter: we completely remove the top layer of soil, deepen by 200 mm at a distance of 600-800 mm from the basement of the bath, lay a 100 mm layer of gravel (crushed stone, expanded clay) with its subsequent leveling. We lay the expansion joints (19 mm board coated with resin or bitumen, with a step of 2-2.5 m perpendicular to the foundation), pour a 100 mm layer of concrete. Before the concrete sets, its surface must be ironed - dry cement is covered with a layer of 3-5 mm. After 3 days, the line of contact between the blind area and the foundation of the bath must be covered with bitumen for its waterproofing.

Caulker of a bath house

It is carried out for warming the log house - sealing the cracks between its logs, linen tow, red moss, hemp hemp, wool felt are traditionally used for caulking. Natural materials for caulking can be replaced with factory-made materials made from jute and flax fibers: linen and felt - jute and flax-jute. The advantage of factory materials for caulking over natural ones is resistance to moth and fungus damage, and it is easier to work with factory material, because it is produced in the form of a continuous tape of a given thickness and width.

The caulking of the log house is carried out during its assembly - the caulking material is laid between the logs during their laying. After the construction of the roof, a complete caulking is performed - from the outer and inner sides of the log house, a year later - repeated caulking (the log house is upset - the logs dry).

The main tools for caulking are a spatula and a mallet, you can make them yourself or buy ready-made ones. Both of these instruments are made of wood (ash, oak or beech). A caulking spatula looks like a wedge with a handle 200 mm long and a pointed blade 100 mm, handle thickness 30 mm, blade width at the base 65 mm, at the end - 30 mm. The wooden mallet has a rounded shape: the handle diameter is 40 mm, its length is 250 mm, the impact part diameter is 70 mm, and the length is 100 mm.

Caulking is performed in two ways - “in a set” or “in a stretch”. In the second way, we caulk like this: we collect the caulking material into a strand, lay it in the gap between the logs and push it in with a spatula, filling the gap completely, without gaps. Then we collect the tow with a roller, apply it to the caulked groove, take out small strands of material from it, wrap the roller around them and drive it into the groove with the help of a spatula and roller - with force, until we are completely sure that the groove (slot) is filled.

The first method of caulking log cabins is designed to cover grooves (slots) of large width. We twist the material for caulking with 2 mm strands, form several loops from them and drive them into the slot. Loops are recruited in an amount sufficient to completely fill the gap.

Caulking rules:

• first, the material is hammered along the upper edge of the log and only after that - along the bottom;
• we start work on caulking from the slots of the lower crown, on both sides. Then we move on to the lower crown of the adjacent wall and so on. Having finished caulking the slots of the lower crowns, we begin work on the next one in height, moving from this crown to the next one in the nearest wall (right to left or left to right, it doesn’t matter).

In no case do not caulk only one wall - it will rise and cause the log house to skew, you will have to disassemble / assemble it again. Recall once again: caulking is performed in the direction "from bottom to top" along the perimeter of the log house.

We put the oven

There are many design options for sauna stoves, they can be heated with wood, gas, liquid fuel or use built-in heating elements and be heated by electricity, they can be brick, cast iron or metal. Brick ovens in baths are made with a wall thickness of "half a brick" or "a whole brick", masonry joints must be bandaged especially carefully, striving for their smallest thickness in order to achieve the greatest efficiency of the furnace. Only red brick is used for laying stoves. The firebox of the stove is taken out into the dressing room, its remaining three walls are in the washing room (steam room), while the distance from them to the walls of the washing room should be at least 250 mm - in this case, the heat will not go “into the walls”.

For a cast-iron or metal furnace, the formation of an independent foundation is not required - only for a brick one.

The heaters installed for those who like to take a steam bath are equipped with a chamber containing stones of various weights (from 1 to 5 kg). But, pebbles, boulders and granite are suitable for filling the chamber of the heater. The design of these stoves is extremely simple - similar to stoves, heaters differ from them in a wider pipe or in the presence of a chamber with stones.

To obtain the highest temperature in the steam room, iron ingots must be added to the stones at a percentage of 80:20 (stones: ingots). For every 1 m 3 of a steam room, at least 6 kg of stones and cast iron ingots will be required.

If a distance of 40-50 mm is observed in the furnace between its walls and the water-heating boiler, the effect of a comprehensive blowing of the boiler with hot gases and the fastest heating of water is achieved.

For better draft, you need to bring the chimney as close as possible to the roof ridge. When passing the chimney through the attic space, be sure to fluff the chimney 380 mm. Remember that the pipe should not pass near the roof sheathing and rafters closer than 150 mm (fire regulations).

Electricity and water supply of the bath

At least 8 liters of hot water is required for washing one bath user. There are several ways to provide such an amount: heat a container of water on a stove, use a gas water heater, install an electric heater - a boiler. If there is a central water supply, the pipeline to the bath is led from the main house - the water from such a pipeline system must be drained in winter, otherwise it will freeze and break the pipes.

Water can be taken from a well or well by installing a submersible pump for pumping it and supplying such a water supply system with cleaning filters. And in this case, in winter, the water must either be drained after each use of the bath, or the supply pipes must be insulated.

To the bath you need to stretch an independent line for the supply of electricity and the easiest way is to do it by air (air). For air, you will need a special cable - we sweep away the “bare” aluminum cable right away, stopping at two options: SIP (self-supporting insulated wire) and VVGng. The first type of cable is very good, it has a long service life (more than 30 years), it is durable and does not need to be supported by a carrier cable. But it is extremely difficult to carry out installation work with it, because it is too thick (the minimum cross section is 16 mm 2). Aluminum SIP cannot be pulled through the attic of the bath according to fire safety standards, it is required to fasten it to special anchor clamps - in terms of the amount of costs and hassle with its installation, its cost will be expensive.

A simpler solution is an air duct with a VVGng copper cable fixed on a supporting steel cable. The cable is suspended from a cable on a wire insulated with plastic, its service life is up to 10 years, after which it must be replaced (!). For a single-core cable VVGng (of course, there must be two cores - each of them must be in an independent double braid), stretched through the air to the bath, the optimal section will be 2.5 mm 2 - it is not known exactly what kind of electrical equipment the owner of the dacha wants to power from it in the future.

All junction boxes, sockets and switches, electrical panel must be outdoor installation only. According to the fire safety rules, it is forbidden to install junction boxes, switches and sockets in the washing / steam room - only in the dressing room. Do not joke with the possibility of a short circuit in a wooden structure - all internal wiring of the bath should be made only in a non-combustible corrugated hose, fixed to special clips, the cable passing through partitions - only through a steel pipe.

Try to arrange the cables in the junction box, socket or lamp so that they go there from below or from the side, but not from above - a drop of condensate sliding along the braid can cause a short circuit.

All electrical appliances must have a moisture protection class of at least IP44 (preferably the maximum - IP54). Install simple fixtures - a metal case, only a glass cover. All connections of the internal wiring of the cable are only on the terminal block, no twists. And install an RCD in the shield, setting it to 30 mA.

For work in the electrical panel and installation of RCDs, be sure to invite a qualified electrician if you yourself are not one!

Installation of partitions, ceiling, interior decoration, installation of windows and doors

The internal partitions in the bath can be brick or wooden, with subsequent heat and moisture insulation in both cases. The partition between the washing room and the dressing room, in which the stove is installed, must be made of brick, or brick inserts are made in it with masonry in one brick - on the sides in contact with the stove body.

Interior decoration is usually carried out in cases where the bath itself is built of brick, stone or timber - here the decoration scheme is classic: insulation, vapor barrier film and lining. In addition, when performing exterior and interior decoration, you will have to rebuild the ventilation system of the bath, because the log logs will be covered with sheathing and will not be able to provide full ventilation.

The ceiling is formed in two layers - draft and finishing. The draft ceiling is attached to the horizontal roof joists, if necessary reinforced with intermediate beams. Its area is covered with insulation - expanded clay or slag. From the inside of the washing / steam room, insulation and a vapor barrier film are attached to the draft ceiling, after which the ceiling is covered with a fine finish - lime, pine tongue-and-groove board (20 mm thick - the thicker the board, the longer it will retain the woody smell).

In the bath, you need to arrange small windows (on average 500x700 mm) and cut them low - enough so that you can look out through them sitting on the bench. The windows in the bath are always double-glazed, depending on the size - with a window or fully hinged - for quick ventilation.

Doors in the sauna rooms must be installed so that they open outward - for reasons of fire safety. The material for the door leaves is a tongue-and-groove board (40-50 mm) or a board with a selected quarter, the boards are fastened to the dowels. The size of the sashes must be deliberately reduced by 5 mm - more than necessary for the actual distance between the quarters of the jambs - otherwise, when the humidity rises, the sash will swell and it will be difficult to open (close) it. The optimal size of the door in the washing section of the bath is 600x1600 mm, in the steam room - 800x1500 mm, with a threshold height of about 300 mm above the floor (it is uncomfortable to walk, but it will keep warm). Hinges for hanging door leaves - brass, going into the dressing room (washing room) and into the washing room (steam room). Door handles - wooden (especially in the steam room).

The material for the shelves is linden, pine, poplar or aspen. Minimum shelf length - 1800 mm, width - 500–800 mm. The distance between the "floors" of two-row shelves should be at least 350 mm, the minimum distance from the second row to the ceiling is 1100 mm.

The surface for lying is formed by a board with a width of 80 mm, a thickness of 40 mm, a gap of 15 mm wide is formed between the boards. A distance of 10 mm is maintained from the wall to the shelf. Boards for sheathing shelves are attached to a frame made of timber with a section of 50x70 mm in two ways: from above - with the help of nails, the caps of which are sunk into the tree; bottom with screws. For fastening choose nails and screws made of stainless steel or copper.

All corners in the design of the shelves are rounded, the surfaces are carefully cleaned with zero sandpaper.

For greater convenience, the shelves in the steam room are equipped with a headboard: the height at the beginning of the rise is 30 mm, the length of the headboard is 460 mm, the final maximum height is 190 mm.

When choosing a material for creating shelves, be careful - it is believed that knotty areas have a higher density and can lead to skin burns. Therefore, try to pick up boards and timber without knotty areas at all or with a minimum number of them.

Fire fighting measures

Protect the bathhouse from the threat of fire - lay a steel sheet in front of the furnace furnace, make sure that the furnace doors are securely fastened, install fire extinguishing equipment nearby (a container with water, sand and fire extinguishers). Make sure that you can freely open the doors of the steam room and washing room when kindling the bath. Do not block passages, the space in front of doors and windows.

A long time ago, wood was recognized as the best building material, and in the case of the construction of a bath, this state of affairs remained, since wood perfectly contributes to the regulation of temperature and humidity conditions in the premises. However, a number of other nuances do not allow us to consider the log cabin of a wooden bath ideal, therefore, the article will consider the features of the construction of a wooden bath.

Difficulties in choosing between timber and logs

There is an opinion that a log house has a lower cost than the one that is laid from a profiled beam. The comparison is made with profiled timber, since its performance is much higher: material processing has been improved and special locks have been installed that enhance the adhesion of elements. If you evaluate directly at the cost of the material, then indeed the log is cheaper. When it comes to the construction of wooden baths, it should be borne in mind that much more logs are needed to implement a project designed for timber.

When using a 20 cm beam, you can get a similar wall thickness and height of the crowns. If 20-centimeter logs are used, then they are connected by means of a selection of a 10-12-centimeter groove, which will be commensurate with the thickness of the wall. Accordingly, the crowns in height will not be obtained at 20, but only at 10-12 centimeters. Accordingly, when calculating, it will be necessary to increase the number of logs in order to achieve dimensions similar to those achieved when using a beam. The use of logs also complicates the installation work.

When it comes to timber, the only condition for high-quality work is that the elements match in size relative to each other. The discrepancy cannot exceed a few millimeters. With the help of a chain saw, bowls are cut, heat-insulating material is laid in them, and then another crown is laid. Directly profiled timber is usually a high-quality material, the individual elements of which are ideally equal to each other, therefore it is very easy to fold them together. An unrounded log complicates the construction process.

The nuances of processing a log house

Initially, a log cabin must be protected under a roof so that the material used in construction (log or timber) is dried as much as possible for at least 8 months. It is important to consider that these months should be as dry as possible. Usually bathhouses are installed from a log house in December, so that they have time to dry before August. If it is possible to wait a longer period, then drying can last 1.5-2 years.

While the log house is being dried, it is necessary to perform a number of other works. Having installed the logs, it is necessary to treat them with the help of special antiseptics, which are based on solvents. They are necessary so that fungi or mold do not form on the surface of the logs. So that when drying the wood it does not tear, it is necessary to process it with a different composition, for example, Teknol JRM is suitable.

Upon the drying of the wood, the logs are polished so that a layer of antiseptic is removed from them, which closes the pores in the material. Immediately after that, you can start painting the log house with oil-wax. This is not just a treatment, because it contains a special pigment that gives the wood a characteristic shade. Accordingly, when the construction of a log cabin bath is completed, the material will not only be protected by an oil-wax layer, but also painted in an original way, which looks very beautiful in the photo and during visual inspection.

Elimination of gaps between the elements of the log cabin of the bath

The most important step in the process of building a bath from a log house with your own hands is to eliminate the gaps between the structural elements. The reason for their occurrence is the impossibility of creating a bowl for the crown in such a way that its shape fits perfectly with the log being laid. When the material dries, these gaps expand, which looks ugly, and worsens the performance of the bath.

These cracks must be sealed - caulked (in more detail: ""). In this case, a special tool "caulking" is used, resembling a small flat spatula, and a hammer. Gaps are filled with moss or tow. By tapping on the caulking handle, you can maximally compact the insulation and achieve maximum protection of the premises from the penetration of cold air masses into them.

There is such a construction option when the crowns are initially laid on a layer of moss. In this case, upon completion of construction, the remnants of insulation will hang from the logs, which attracts various birds. Any remaining moss should be compacted into the slot in the same manner as described above. But the cracks will still have to be caulked after 5-6 months, since the gaps will not be completely eliminated.

In the case when jute tape or tow is used as a layer between the crowns, it is necessary to caulk the building only six months after its initial shrinkage. Then you can proceed to the installation of window and door blocks. The second time the caulking procedure is performed a year later, unless, of course, the log house was lined with the street side.

In the future, during operation, the log house will “move”, so regular checks will not interfere. The cracks formed should be sealed, and the birds will try to create these cracks, pulling out insulation from the cracks as a building material for their nests.

Individual features of the process of construction and operation of the log house

When a bathhouse is built from planed logs or timber, the biggest problem for the owner is the low resistance of wood to moisture. You can, of course, treat the surface of the log house with various chemicals, but many owners are opposed because they fear for their health.

Structurally, wood can be protected from moisture with the help of well-organized ventilation:

• pouring strip foundation(the most popular), special holes (air vents) should be made in it. The air entering there will ensure quick drying of the floors;
• laying the first crown, you need to put a waterproofing layer under it. You should not use rolled roofing material, since it has an extremely short service life at its maximum characteristics. It is best to use waterproofing fiberglass materials or on fiberglass. In the common people, they are called euroroofing material and there must be no dressing on them. The service life of such material reaches 10-15 years. Naturally, its price is higher, but the performance characteristics are worth it;
• lower crown in the design must be treated with an antibacterial composition, since it will be located below the floor level of the room, and will be exposed to the maximum exposure to natural factors during operation. Visitors to the bath should not be afraid of fumes from the composition used for processing, since high-quality ventilation of the underground and average temperatures will not create the desired effect to move air masses into the log house;
• very important quality install a water drainage system in the washing room and the steam room, since any errors can lead to undesirable consequences. After the bath is put into operation, it will be very difficult to fix anything;
• ventilation in the steam room must also be of very high quality. It is better for the room to cool a little faster than, on the contrary, moisture will destroy everything around. You need to dry it after each case of taking procedures. It will be enough to throw some firewood into the stove and open all the windows and doors so that the moisture is eliminated as quickly as possible.

If you lay a log cabin for a bath with your own hands from a log, then you should know about another worst enemy of wood - woodworms. Insects are very harmful to building material. You can protect yourself from them by applying special impregnations, but their use is safe for the person himself in all rooms except the steam room. Of course, insects can be eliminated by heating the air above 60 degrees Celsius, but this temperature is not reached in a Russian log house, if we talk about the optimal conditions for taking bath procedures.

Any evidence that woodworms have attacked the wood of the log house should be addressed promptly. It is necessary to heat the bath once dry at a temperature of 80-90 degrees Celsius. The warm-up time should be from 1.5 hours, or rather: it is necessary to achieve heating of the core of the log to a mark of more than 60 degrees Celsius.

In this case, the tree will not be damaged, and insects with larvae will be eliminated. In the case when there are very few machined holes from insects, you can get by using a building hair dryer at temperatures up to 150 degrees Celsius. With its help, the affected areas are treated.

How long does it take to kindle various baths

If it was decided to build a bath from a log house with your own hands, then it is worth considering that not only the exposure of wood to various negative impact factors is a “pitfall” in the ongoing construction process. A log house warms up much longer due to the increased heat capacity of the material. At the same time, the generated heat is more pleasant according to the internal sensations of the human body. In the photo, the heat emanating from the log walls cannot be seen, but its beneficial effect on the body is felt more and more with every second of being inside the steam room.

With all the usefulness of the procedures, we must not forget that it takes much more time and firewood to kindle, and if an ordinary brick oven is also used, then it will take from 3 to 5 hours of time. Few people want to come to such a bathhouse for the weekend and spend half of their precious time solely on achieving optimal temperature indicators.

If a metal furnace is used, then the problem becomes more pronounced. Due to the lack of effective insulation of the walls of the steam room, the heating power is often not enough, and therefore it is necessary to take a more efficient and expensive device. And it is extremely difficult to maintain the temperature in the room in the range from 50 to 60 degrees Celsius. They increase the efficiency of a metal furnace by lining it with a brick screen and installing a special shield around the chimney. In this case, the generated heat is accumulated and released into the room.

But, again, it is worth remembering the nuances that meet the employee everywhere. If before the creation of a brick screen and the installation of a shield around the chimney, a foundation for a metal furnace was not required, then with their appearance a mass of 200-300 kilograms must be restrained with something.

Naturally, no one forbids to insulate the log house, but in this case, all the useful qualities of wood come to naught. Simply, the walls of the log cabin are covered from the inside with a thermal insulation cake of several layers, which do not allow moisture to be removed naturally due to the effect of wood as a “breathing” material. If the surface coloring of wood is also added to such an interior finish, then ventilation is not even worth remembering. In this case, after making a log cabin for a bath, it is necessary to add ventilation holes to the structure.

The basics of planning log baths

Inside, the bath will have a final size of about 5.2 meters, since the bowls formed at both ends of the log will take a certain distance from the length and width. Regarding the beam, we can say that the losses will be less, but not by much (45-50 centimeters). A few centimeters will also be lost due to the installation of finishing materials or wall cladding with ordinary clapboard.

Here you need to know not only how to properly cut down the bath, but also how to allocate space in it. The dimensions of the washing room should be reduced if an overall font is not installed in it. It is best to reserve a spare place for a locker room or an increase in the steam room. The choice, of course, remains with the owner. If the bath will be used all year round, then it is simply impossible to do without a place for a vestibule. Otherwise, the cold air passing through the front door will negatively affect the temperature inside the bath.

You can reduce the size of the log house if you wish. For example, a building with dimensions of 6x3 meters is very popular - a “tram”. All rooms are placed sequentially. Usually fenced off: a steam room, a rest room, a dressing room in front of the front door. The shower room is not located separately, but according to the type of passage room.

Outcome

The article discusses the main nuances and features of how to build a bath from a log house in order to get a high-quality, reliable and safe structure that will last for many years. It is important to take into account each advice when carrying out work. You can also entrust all the work to specialists who will take responsibility for each stage - from the purchase of building materials and structural elements to the construction of a bath and putting it into operation.

Consumption ecology. Manor: The use of chopped logs in the process of building a bath is fully justified by high costs. Since the quality of such a structure is much higher than the use of rounded materials. We will consider how to build a bath from a log further.

The use of chopped logs in the process of building a bath is fully justified by high costs. Since the quality of such a structure is much higher than the use of rounded materials. We will consider how to build a bath from a log further.

Chopped log: features and benefits

The most popular material used in the construction of a bath is wood. It is wooden buildings that are distinguished by quality, durability, and spending time in such a bath becomes beneficial to health.

The use of wood allows you to maintain the necessary microclimate of the room, the walls in such a bath are able, under certain conditions, to absorb moisture and give it away at the right time.

The duration of use and the quality of the constructed bath directly depend on the type of materials used in the process of its construction and on their quality. When harvesting wood, you should follow certain rules, which we will consider below:

1. It is better to harvest a tree from December to March.

2. After the tree is cut down, you should wait at least a month before further processing.

3. Before storing the timber, all logs are cleaned from the bark, only on the end sections there are small places, 15-20 cm, with bark, preventing their cracking.

4. Logs are stored in stacks. It is important to observe the ventilation gap between them, 50 mm in size.

5. All stacks are covered with slate, which will protect them from moisture.

If you adhere to all the conditions for harvesting wood, then such a bath will serve its owners for at least 50 years.

Logs are round materials that are formed after cutting trees, which are cleared of branches and trunks.

Among the advantages of chopped logs are:

• less creaking and cracking;
• lower level of moisture absorption;
• higher resistance to biological influences in the form of insects, fungus or mold;
• long service life that does not require special care;
• ease and simplicity of assembly;
• the presence of special groove components;
• a variety of corner cuts in the form of a paw, a Russian bowl, an exclusive triple cut;
• a variety of styles for performing a bath;
• healthy indoor climate;
• a wide range of log diameters.

Among the disadvantages of chopped logs are:

• higher cost of work on the preparation of the material;
• the difference in diameters at different ends of the log house;
• the quality of the work performed directly depends on the experience of the specialists who perform them, with poor-quality installation, the appearance of the structure suffers greatly.

Baths from chopped logs - characteristic

Baths made of chopped logs have been popular for decades and even hundreds of years. This is due to the availability of materials used in the process of their construction and the ease of its processing.

The use of wood in construction has the following advantages:

• first of all, the ability of wooden walls to “breathe” - thanks to this, it is easy to breathe in the bathhouse, and there is fresh air and a healthy atmosphere in the room;
• low level of thermal conductivity provides excellent heat retention in the bath, even in winter, which is very important for taking bath procedures;
• the manufacture of walls in the bath from wood allows you to avoid overheating in the summer, as the tree controls the temperature level in the room;
• cost is another advantage, since a wooden bath does not require the construction of an expensive foundation, and wood is much cheaper than brick or concrete.

The standard appearance of a bathhouse built from chopped logs has one floor. Although the option of building a two-story or attic bath is possible. The minimum number of rooms in a bathhouse is three: a washing room, a steam room and a relaxation room.

In the construction of baths, different types of trees are used, but the lower part of the bath, which is in contact with the foundation, is traditionally made of larch, since this material has the highest quality characteristics. In addition, the use of coniferous trees, pines, spruces is common, which fill the room with a special aroma that cleanses and heals the human body.

For a firebox, it is better to give preference to birch. In the construction of a bath, the main thing is to choose the right type of wood. Since the final result of the work depends on the quality of the material.

An important point is the construction of the supporting structures of the building. They appear as a single wooden wall, which is based on longitudinally laid logs or crowns.

Chopped log baths photo:

The crown is a rectangular structure, which consists of bars laid in a perpendicular direction.

The final stage of work is the felling of a bathhouse, first, work is done on felling a tree in a forest or in a field. Next, the log house is transported to the construction site and caulked. At the end of a year after installation and complete drying, the internal and external finishing of the log house is carried out.

Construction of log baths: step by step instructions

The procedure for building a bathhouse using chopped logs consists of several stages, namely:

1. Drafting baths from chopped logs.

2. Assembly and felling of materials used in the construction process.

3. Preparation and construction of the foundation.

4. Construction of walls in the bath.

5. Building roof equipment.

6. Installation of the stove.

7. Carrying out interior finishing work.

8. Installation of the chimney.

9. Works on the insulation of floors and ceilings.

10. Installation of shelves in the room.

The first stage involves the design of the bath. Development of projects is carried out in relation to all the requirements of the owners. It is possible to independently develop a project, a ready-made purchase of a project, or an individual development of a project by specialists who will take into account all the individual climatic and geological features of the area and draw up the best version of the bath project.

They begin to build a bathhouse by determining its dimensions, if we consider the standard dimensions of a log house, which consists of three rooms, then its area will be about 60 square meters.

An important factor is the height of the room in which the shelves will be located, and which should be comfortable for a certain number of people.

Please note that too large baths will improve heat loss and it will take a lot of fuel to heat the bath. Therefore, you should choose the minimum dimensions of the room, which should be convenient for the location of people in the bath.

A standard bathhouse consists of a pre-bath room in which they change clothes and a steam room in which they wash and bathe. A variant of the equipment of the rest room is possible.

For a more rational use of space, the door from the steam room should go into the vestibule.

To improve the strength of the structure, it is necessary to choose and equip the foundation correctly. The depth of its laying is determined by the depth of soil freezing, to which a minimum of 100 mm is added.

It is important to take into account the correct distribution of temperature in the bath. The air temperature in the steam room is from 51 to 57 degrees, in the washing room - 35-40 degrees, and in the locker room, at least 22 degrees.

An important factor is the correct location and installation of shelves. They should not be near the stove, as there is a risk of burns from too hot steam.

Therefore, it is preferable to place shelves near blank walls. Shelves should be arranged in two or three tiers, depending on the height of the ceiling.

Most often, stoves are used in the bath, which are located in the corner section of the room. This arrangement allows for optimal heating of all rooms at once. A tank is installed in the inside of the furnace, in which water is heated. The principle of operation of such a furnace is the use of a special kind of stones, which, when heated, become hot and release steam in contact with water. Firewood is used as fuel for the stove stove, which heats it for a long time.

The arrangement of the roof is another important issue, since the roof must have a minimum thermal conductivity. If the bath is a separate building, then the most popular option for constructing a roof is a gable roof. When arranging baths in the form of an extension, it is rational to use shed types of roofs.

The angle of inclination of a gable roof is from 18 to 44 degrees, and a single-pitched roof is from twenty to thirty degrees. A wooden bath requires a heavy roof, as it must be very warm to prevent heat loss. Quite popular are Norwegian earthen roofs, on the surface of which there is soil and plants in the form of a lawn.

It will take at least two months to build a bathhouse. But, keep in mind that in order for the bath to serve with high quality, its operation should begin no earlier than a year after its construction. Since it is after this period of time that the first stage of bath shrinkage occurs. Final shrinkage will occur after four to five years, depending on the type of tree.

The main stage in the construction of a bath is the insulation of the floor and ceiling. To insulate the ceiling in the bathhouse, from chopped logs, you will need to nail slings all over the ceiling, then a wooden ceiling is installed, then caulking is installed to prevent heat loss.

In addition, you should take care of the proper arrangement of floors and spillways. When building a floor in a washing room and a steam room, care should be taken to ensure normal flow and to drain water into the sewer system. Therefore, the floor must have an inclined surface, for its manufacture only water-repellent materials are used, in the form of concrete, clay.

The slope should be directed to the pit, which is equipped with a water seal connecting the drain pipe and the sewer pit.

Next, the floor is covered with wooden materials. To carry out this process, the installation of a log is required, which are mounted on a pre-waterproofed surface with support pillars. Between the boards, a gap of at least 0.5 cm is necessarily left, since the tree swells when wet, and decreases in volume when it dries. In addition, you should take care of removing the longitudinal chamfer from the boards, so their upper part becomes a little larger than the lower one.

If a solid floor is being constructed, then for its arrangement it is required to have a pit directly in the room. A special grid is installed to cover it. The ventilation riser is used for sewage equipment. For its arrangement, it is required to install an asbestos-cement or metal pipe, the minimum diameter of which is 10 cm. A cap or deflector is installed on its upper section.

The technology of building a bath from chopped logs

After the construction of the bath, it is required to lay an interventional seal between the logs. Thus, the appearance of cracks through which heat loss occurs is excluded.

Moss or tow is used as a sealant, but this method is less popular due to the complexity of the work and the high cost of the material. Modern housing construction involves the use of lnovatin, which is easy to install, as it is produced in the form of a roll.

The procedure for sealing seams is called caulking, it requires the same interventional sealant or linen rope - which improves the appearance of the building.

With the help of caulking, the thermal insulation of the entire building is significantly improved. But, carrying out this process should be repeated after the shrinkage of the building, that is, after five years of its operation.

An important issue is the problem of joining logs, since chopped materials have an unequal diameter and for joining, special skills are required.

The standard log size is 600 cm. If the wall of the building is longer, then they are joined together at the point of cutting. Thus, the butt sections become invisible. In the absence of a perpendicular wall, a cut is equipped on the butt section, hiding the joints.

In the absence of an opportunity in the construction of a cut, the joints are formed in a checkerboard pattern, for a more reliable fixation of the logs.

Making a bath from wood has another unpleasant consequence, such as cracking a log. Since a tree is a living organism, inside of which there is moisture, after a certain treatment it dries up and loses its strength. Since moisture begins to evaporate from the central part of the logs, it is on them that the greatest load is placed, leading to cracking. To avoid the appearance of this process, it is required to make a sawing of a deformation purpose, which will help to remove moisture without consequences for the log.

In addition, there is a danger of bluing or darkening of the wood. This procedure occurs due to a decrease in the quality of wood under the influence of moisture, sun, temperature changes and other factors. Logs are especially sensitive to fungi or mold that are in the air and through it get to the surface. The most optimal conditions for the reproduction of the fungus is an air temperature of +22 and a humidity of more than 90%, so it is recommended to equip the bath with good ventilation, which will prevent this process.

In addition, it is required to periodically treat the wood with antiseptic preparations and impregnations. If the blue has already appeared on the surface, then it should be sanded well and a bleaching agent applied.

Before installing the bars, you should take care of their treatment with preparations that will protect the tree from the sun, moisture and other external influences. You should not save on the purchase of these materials, as they can extend the life of a wooden bath several times. published

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Traditionally, a Russian steam room is built from a single log or beam. Such material is not only environmentally friendly and durable, it also has high heat and sound insulation characteristics. In addition to its practicality, wood is attractive in that even a novice developer who knows how to work with an electric drill and an ax can build a log cabin with his own hands.

Advantages of bathhouses

A log cabin is a reliable and practical structure, the main advantage of which is the speed of construction. Other advantages of a wooden structure include the following:

• the availability of construction work without the involvement of third-party specialists;
• possible shrinkage of the finished log house does not exceed 11 cm;
• financial savings in the independent construction of a wooden bath;
• a large selection of ready-made bath projects or the possibility of developing your own project;
• confidence in the quality of the building material;
• useful experience in private low-rise construction.

The choice of lumber for the bath

A log house for a bath is erected from coniferous wood - spruce, juniper, pine, cedar and larch. At the same time, part of the wood from the butt (root part) to the crown is considered the best lumber for the construction of wooden baths. This area has a high density of wood fibers and is practically devoid of flaws.

There are two types of wood on the construction market:

• dried;
• with natural moisture levels.

Important! After construction, the log house made of dried material is smaller.

In order to properly build a bath from a log house, when choosing and harvesting lumber, it is important to consider the following recommendations:

1. The quality of the material is determined by the absence of spots, deformations, knots, cracks and wormholes on the surface.
2. The permissible level of curvature of one log should not be more than 10 mm, the diameter should be from 25 to 35 cm.
3. A wooden frame made of raw material is erected immediately after its preparation for uniform drying and shrinkage of the finished structure. This will prevent possible deformation of the bath.
4. Wood felling is more often carried out during the cold period - at the end of autumn or in winter.
5. Sawn logs must be settled and aged for at least 30 days from the moment of felling.
6. When harvesting the material independently, the logs are carefully cleaned of bark and knots with a scraper. At the same time, strips up to 20 cm wide are left at the edges for the natural shrinkage of wood.
7. To ensure long-term storage, cut logs are stacked in bundles or stacks with gaps between individual elements of 6 cm, between rows - 1.5 cm and from the top level of the ground to the lower elements - 15 cm.

Important! When preparing a log, one should take into account the technical shrinkage of the trunk diameter, which should be up to 8 mm per linear meter of wood.

Preparation of a working draft for a wooden bath

The construction of a log cabin is a laborious and responsible process, which is carried out in stages. The initial stage is the preparation of the bath project.

A typical project includes:

• selection of a suitable building site;
• the layout of the number of storeys and the interior of the bath;
• planning the location of window and door openings;
• selection of heating, ventilation equipment and lighting fixtures;
• selection of building and finishing materials;
• development of interior design;
• construction cost calculation.

Finished projects are freely available, but to get an individual sketch, you should contact the design bureau.

Construction of a reliable foundation for a bath

Log baths have an impressive weight, so for them it is necessary to build a foundation of a tape or type.

The tape base is suitable for moving soils with different levels of freezing, is able to withstand the ultimate load of the structure, and also allows you to build underground structures - basements, cellars and garages.

The columnar base is more economical, practical, accessible for installation, has high strength indicators. It is suitable for construction on soils with a high content of clay, sand, and also prone to rapid freezing. The disadvantages of the foundation include the impossibility of arranging cellars and cellars, as well as the need for additional insulation of the floor base.

The construction of the strip foundation is carried out as follows:

1. A trench is dug at the chosen place for building: depth - up to 100 cm, width - up to 45 cm.
2. The bottom is equipped with a sand cushion, moistened and rammed. The height of the sand layer is 18 cm.
3. Formwork is mounted from the boards with reinforcement with metal bars, the upper part of which is cut off along the height of the foundation.
4. The formwork is filled with ready-mixed concrete along the perimeter of the trench for the construction of a monolithic base.
5. After the concrete has completely dried, a waterproofing layer is laid to prevent the base from being washed away. To do this, concrete is treated with hot bitumen, and then covered with rolled roofing material.

Construction of log walls

The next stage of work is the assembly of wall structures of a log house from round timber. Many novice developers are interested in how to cut down a bathhouse and what tools to use in their work? The standard set of tools includes:

• electric or gasoline saw;
• ax and hammer for wood;
• electric drill and planer;
• chisels of different sizes;
• measuring instruments - building level, tape measure, ruler, square and plumb line.

To assemble a bath log house, a classic technology is used, which is simple and easy to master. It provides for the construction of a wooden structure in strict sequence.

1. When erecting walls, it is necessary to make a strapping (folding) crown. For it, 4 logs are used, pre-treated with an antiseptic. To ensure a snug fit of the crown to the foundation, an insulating material is used - tow or jute. The location of the logs is at a right angle, the connection is in a bowl or paw. The optimal size of a log house is 9 sq.m.
2. The next two pairs of logs are installed in a similar way, forming the second row.
3. The joints between the logs are carefully caulked to prevent heat loss.
4. Between themselves, the crowns are fixed with square dowels or wooden dowels of a round shape.
5. Upon reaching the required height of the log house, ceiling beams and a rafter system are mounted.

Important! The technology of connecting the log house elements into the bowl is provided for rounded and prepared logs. And the technology is in the paw - for logs and beams without prior preparation.

Construction of the roof structure

The next stage - the erection of the roof - can be started after the complete shrinkage of the log house in order to prevent its deformation.

The work is carried out in the following order:

1. Beams are mounted on top of the wooden structure, which are the basis for fixing the rafters. The distance between the legs of the truss system is no more than 100 cm.
2. Boards are tightly installed on the rafters to obtain a continuous flooring, and a vapor barrier is fixed between them.
3. The selected roofing material is mounted on the crate - slate, metal tiles, ondulin, etc.
4. The pediments are lined with clapboard or other available material.

Arrangement of openings for windows and doors, building caulking

The manufacture of door and window openings is carried out after the completion of the construction of the bath. To do this, it is necessary to cut gaps in wall structures with a saw: four for windows, one for the front door and one for ventilation.

After that, it remains to insulate the finished building in order to reduce possible heat losses during operation.

To eliminate interventional cracks and gaps formed after shrinkage, a log bath requires mandatory insulation. For this, moss, ribbon jute and tow are used.

Internal decorative finish

Inside the premises, a rough flooring is equipped with an additional heat-insulating layer. For lining the walls of the steam room, a lining is used, under which an insulating and vapor barrier layer on a foil base is mounted. This prevents overheating and destruction of the wooden structure.

The best material for interior wall cladding is hardwood, resistant to high temperatures and humidity.

Tiles or porcelain tiles with a rough surface are laid on the floor.

And now, a do-it-yourself bath from a log house has been built, maintained, insulated and ready for further operation - the first furnace and health procedures.

If earlier baths were built exclusively from wood, today other materials have appeared (brick, aerated concrete), despite this, wood is the classic and most popular material. A log bath helps to create a special atmosphere characteristic of a traditional one.

Russian log bath: advantages

Most people prefer to build a bath from a log with their own hands, since this material has a number of advantages:

• environmental friendliness. In order for a trip to the steam room to bring maximum benefit, it is necessary that it be built from natural and environmentally friendly materials, which is wood;
• special flavor. When heated, the tree exudes a pleasant and healthy aroma, which makes the process of visiting the bath healing and enjoyable;
• saving. The process of manufacturing and preparing materials is quite simple, and therefore the price is low;
• high thermal insulation. The tree retains heat well, which is important for a bath;
• good ventilation. Logs allow steam and air to pass through, keeping the room warm;
• aesthetics. Wooden buildings look neat and cozy, they fit perfectly into any exterior;
• long service life. Wooden buildings are distinguished by a high level of reliability; if you follow the rules, you will get a building that will last you for many years.

Log bath: disadvantages

• fire hazard. The tree burns, unlike brick or aerated concrete, so it must be treated with special means;
• shrinkage. Within six months after construction, finishing work cannot be carried out, in contrast to, which has minimal shrinkage;
• the need for meticulous care. Wood is susceptible to decay, so it must be treated with means that will protect it from the effects of the external environment;
• assembly complexity. Building a bath with your own hands from a log is not easy, so if you do not have sufficient skills, then it is better to entrust the work to professionals.

Log bath: step by step instructions

For the construction of a bath, you need to follow a certain order.

Stage 1. Selection of material

The first step is to choose the type of wood from which you plan to build a log bath. As a rule, pine is used. This material has a low price, it is durable, reliable and resistant to temperature extremes and moisture. Less popular options are spruce, cedar, larch.

It is better to choose logs felled in winter, as they will have good moisture resistance. The diameter of the logs is 180-250 mm. Please note that the difference between them should not exceed 30 mm, in case of violation of this condition, the building will turn out with slots.

It should also be taken into account that the same type of wood may differ in its density if the trees were grown in different climatic conditions.

When buying or procuring materials for building a log bath with your own hands, it is important to pay attention to a number of points:

• they must be equal. It is permissible to change the thickness by 10 mm per meter of length, no more;
• blue spots are unacceptable. They are signs of decay;
• the core should have a uniform dark shade;
• resin pockets should be absent;
• gaps in the branches are unacceptable, because they are signs of a rotten core.

Rounded logs are an excellent option for building a bath. They are aligned along the entire length in production, covered with an antiseptic that protects against decay. The log has grooves for laying, which simplifies the process of assembling the log house.

Stage 2. Drawing up a project

Design is an important part of construction. You can do the project yourself, find a ready-made version on the Internet or turn to professionals. Decide on the place where you will build, with the size of the structure, the location of windows and doors, the arrangement of furniture, the placement of electrical wiring and sewerage.

A well-designed project will facilitate the construction process.

Stage 3. Foundation construction

When we build a bath from a log or any other material, we always need to pay special attention to the foundation. It directly affects the reliability of the entire structure. To choose the type of foundation, you need to pay attention to the soil.

If it is clayey, swampy or forest, then a strip foundation will do. For buildings on a slope, it is better to choose a screw or pile. It is also possible to install a columnar foundation.

After the foundation has been erected, it is imperative to lay a layer of waterproofing, usually roofing material is used for this purpose.

Stage 4. Building walls

The construction of the log cabin of the bath begins with the installation of a "mortgage crown". It is recommended to use the thickest logs for it. First, two logs must be laid strictly parallel to each other from different sides of the future building. After you need to perpendicularly lay two logs in the grooves.

The following crowns are laid out similarly.

At the moment, you can buy ready-made baths. They are made in production, then assembled, quality checked, and then disassembled again. Such logs are packed and numbered, and then sold complete with assembly instructions. In this case, making a bath from logs will be much easier and faster.

The following is about how to build a log bath. Video:

When the assembly of a bath from a log with your own hands is completed, you need to wait until the logs dry, and then proceed to the next step.

Stage 5. Caulking the walls

For caulking, you can use linen, jute, wool felt. The process of sealing cracks must be started from the lowest rows, gradually moving up. To do this, spread the canvas across the groove and hammer it inside with a special spatula. It is necessary to especially carefully caulk the corners of the room.

The caulking of the walls must be done strictly along the perimeter; it is impossible to process each wall in turn. This can lead to distortion.

Stage 6. Installing the roof

The roof is usually made of slate or ondulin, the latter has certain advantages: it is lighter, which simplifies installation, and also has a longer service life.

Stage 7. Installation of windows and doors

After assembling the log house, you need to make openings for windows and doors. For safety reasons, the doors should open outwards. It is better to choose wooden windows and doors, since plastic can release harmful substances when heated.

Stage 8. Finishing work

Finishing a bath from a log should be carried out six months after the completion of construction. Usually, lining is used for interior decoration of a bath - a material that is a leader in this field.

At the same stage, a furnace is installed, the necessary communications, electricity, etc. are carried out.

The final touch is the installation of furniture.

Do-it-yourself log bath: photo

Construction of a bath from a log: video